Kurdish Political Prisoner on Day 20 of Hunger Strike

Persian2English – Ayoub Asadi, a Kurdish political prisoner, is reportedly on the 20th day of hunger strike in Kashmar Prison (in the Razavi Khorasan province, northeastern Iran) in protest to the violation of his basic rights.

According to the human rights news agency, HRANA, Asadi started his hunger strike on June 5th after Iranian authorities denied him medical care and leave. Asadi, who was arrested by IRGC agents in 2011, reportedly suffers from asthma, lumbar disc disease and intestinal problems. Iranian authorities have also reportedly denied him access to phone calls to his family. Asadi is currently detained in exile, far away from his home and family members.

In 2012, Asadi was sentenced to 20 years in prison by branch 1 of the revolutionary court in Sanandaj for the vague charge of Moharebeh (enmity against God) through cooperation with Kurdish opposition groups.

A close source tells HRANA that Asadi was never affiliated with any political parties. According to the source, Asadi was a taxi driver who had dropped off several passengers at their requested location when he was suddenly arrested along with the passengers by the IRGC.